2023 is done!

I was able to see 54 movies in the cinema in 2023, which is the first time I’ve cracked 50 since 2018’s 52.

I found when I was ranking the list that there were a lot of movies in 2023 which were good, enjoyable, and generally ok, and not a lot I really disliked.

However, if you take out the 2022 Oscar movies which I wasn’t able to see in Australia until January 2023 (of which there are four in my top ten) there weren’t as many classics either. A very homogenous year. Most of the movies were very enjoyable, but not amazing.

As usual, movies which I saw new somewhere other than the theatre (usually on streaming) will be listed where I have them ranked, but without a number.

1. Saltburn

My favourite of the year, but I acknowledge that this is a movie very suited to my personal tastes, and most certainly won’t be for everyone. But when it’s anticedents would seem to include Brideshead Revisited and The Talented Mr Ripley, you’re likely on a winner with me.

That cast is exceptional, especially Barry Keoghan and Rosemund Pike.

But it’s the script and direction which really makes this movie work, as I laughed when I should, was enticed when I should be, was disturbed when I should be, and was able to spot enough of the clues to be rewarded by the outcomes, without all the twists being obvious or cliché. 

It won’t be for everyone, but I loved it.

2. The Fablemans 

The Fablemans is really just Steven Spielberg doing what he does so well: telling a good story with lovely characters. The story itself is nothing revelatory, but the warmth with which it’s told makes it superb. Every shot is simply gorgeous.

Paul Dano and Michelle Williams have long been favourites of mine, and newer actor Gabriel LaBelle is exceptional.

It’s just a really perfect piece of cinema.

3. Oppenheimer

I’m generally not a fan of Nolan’s work, but Oppenheimer is a truly magnificent piece of cinema.

The sound design, visuals, and cinematography all combine for an exceptional experience. 

Like many films about historical events it needs to add tension for an audience who knows the ending of the story, and Oppenheimer certainly does that.

Robert Downey Jr is back after taking a decade long break from acting, and deserves to be the frontrunner for the Oscar here.

It’s a Nolan piece, so perhaps a few threads which could be trimmed, but in my opinion perhaps his best ever work.

4. Tár

Cate Blanchett’s the star of this movie, and gives an incredible performance. The shades of grey between villain and anti-hero are perhaps my favourite part of this film, along with just enjoying the ride of Blanchett’s performance.

Plus, it included Elgar’s Cello Concerto, my favourite piece of music. 

5. Spoiler Alert

This movie makes the top five because of the way the moments in the film lingered and haunted me for so long after I saw it.

Based on the book “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies”, the audience knows the ending from the beginning, but the drama doesn’t come from suspense of wondering what will happen, but the humanity of experiencing those events with the characters.

After escaping the sitcom world Jim Parsons shows what sort of performances he’s really capable of.

6. Barbie

I simply really enjoyed watching this! Seen in a full cinema at the height of Barbenheimer, this was a great experience.

Greta Gerwig (who is a regular at the top of my movie rankings) does a remarkable job of balancing all the technical and design aspects of this movie, whilst telling a fun story. 

The tale deliberately slaps down more extreme messaging whilst making a point it’s hard not to nod along with.

Robbie and Gosling also make dialogue which could have seemed ridiculous work.

But yes, it’s just fun!

7. All Quiet on the Western Front

Went into this with some trepidation given the contents of the novel, but it really is an excellent adaption, with some great cinematography. 

The additional story line also works very well.

Harrowing, but brilliantly done.

8. Golda 

Narrower in focus than I expected, a strong example of making a history film tense, even when you know the ending. 

Helen Mirren is excellent – one of her best performances for some time – although barely recognisable under the makeup. 

9. Close

A beautiful Dutch film, which uses the different locations and styles to tell a nice, if sad, story.

Red, White, and Royal Blue*

The first twenty minutes of this has a lot of cliched and cringy humour, with moments seeming almost forced. But once it gets past that it becomes a very enjoyable and heart-warming film, with some touching and amusing moments.

The performances of Taylor Perez and Nicholas Galitzine make it work, and Uma Thurman as the President is a delight.

10. Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I’ve had mixed views on the Hunger Games franchise over the years, but simply really enjoyed this movie.

Does the action really well, and sets up the dystopian society far better than the other Hunger Games films.

I hope we’ll see a lot more of Tom Blyth, especially as Snow.

11. Napoleon

Appropriate to have this at number 11, as it really was a “near great” of 2023.

As a piece of cinema is it properly epic. Some amazingly filmed scenes, excellent sound, and a good story to carry all the action.

But as a study of Napoleon the man it does rather fail, and I’m not really convinced by Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.

But very worth seeing in the cinema.

12. Wonka

Another of the “near greats”, Wonka is a wonderful, fun movie.

Timotheé Chalemet successfully captures the whimsy of Wonka, although as others have noted, the darkness of Gene Wilder’s performance isn’t yet there.

Also, Hugh Grant just enjoying himself.

A really good movie, but perhaps just a little too shallow to be top 10.

13. Uproar

If you asked me to list the top movies of 2023, Uproar wouldn’t jump into my head. However, the more I reflect on it, the harder it is to fault.

Set in New Zealand of the early 1980s, the film does an excellent job of capturing the troubles of the times, without ever feeling like it’s lecturing or hectoring.

Julian Dennison gives another strong performance, although there is a danger that he’s starting to play the same character in every film.

14. Of an Age

A rare Australian film that I don’t hate!

Of an Age makes good use of the northern suburbs of Melbourne in the 1990s to tell a coming of age/coming out story that feels real and of its time and place.

Nothing amazing, and certainly not top 10 quality, but I thought it worked very well.

Seeing Dance Academy’s Thom Green turn up as the lead was also nice.

15. Dumb Money

In the same genre as The Big Short, Dumb Money is very good, but doesn’t quite land the punches it wants to. 

The performances are great, especially Paul Dano, and there’s a wonderful cameo from Dane DeHaan!

The story is well told with a lot of tension, but, in the end it doesn’t really explain why we should care, and as much as I enjoyed the ride, the end left me feeling a little indifferent.

16. Knock at the Cabin

Mostly a very good movie, with some quality scares and bizarre moments. 

It’s one of M. Night’s better films for a while, and the cast is excellent. Jonathon Groff and Ben Aldridge are good, and David Bautista and Rupert Grint get to do something a bit different!

However, it’s one of those Shyamalan movies where the excellent build up isn’t matched by the ending, and trying to surprise audiences by changing the ending of the book just makes things worse.

Still very good, but could have been so much better.

17. Good (Live)

A cinema showing of the London stage show starring David Tennant, this is excellent, as you watch the moral failings of a man in Nazi Germany play out.

18. Maestro

I’ve thought a lot about the placement of this film, and I think 18^th is about right.

When it’s good, it’s very good, feeling like a brilliantly personal film. However, it’s also very indulgent, and as both director and lead actor there were just a few too many moments where I felt Bradley Cooper was trying too hard to win an Oscar.

It also has that common biopic failing of not really explaining WHY we should care, just assuming we’ll all love the main character.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like. But definitely on the list of “near greats” for 2023.

19. No Hard Feelings

Honestly only saw this because I enjoyed Andrew Feldman’s musical theatre work, but turned out I actually quite enjoyed. There’s nothing amazing or especially new here, but it’s well done and fun.

20. Air

I came into this not really having any interest in the topic, as neither basketball or shoes are things that excite me. But it’s a really good story! Certainly lives on the performances of cast members including Affleck, Damon, and Bateman. Looking back there aren’t really any moments that stand out in the memory, so hard to rank it higher, but a solid film.

21. Theatre Camp

Ben Platt’s movie is designed for fans of musical theatre, and works well in that sense. The plot in entirely predictable, but the in-jokes and enjoyment of the cast makes it work.

22. Five Nights at Freddie’s

I still have absolutely no idea what the hell this movie was about, but I was pretty engaged watching it so I guess it worked?!

The only big problem is that when your entire cast is about five people, the “who’s the baddie” twist doesn’t really work…

23. Scream VI

I’m a sucker for a Scream film, and this did everything I want from such a movie well. The New York setting added something new, and the climax was good. But, not quite enough death for me.

24. One Life

A solid tale about an important event. Nothing here blew me out of the water, but it told the story well.

25. A Haunting in Venice

Another Poirot movie where I enjoyed the script and direction, but not really sold on some of Branaugh’s interesting acting choices… although he was certainly better here than in Death on the Nile.

26. Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Another example of an MCU film doing something that would have been extraordinary a decade ago, but now just seems run of the mill. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good movie, and one of the better MCU films for a while. But reflecting upon it nothing really stood out for me. Very enjoyable, but a bit disposable. 

Will Poulter the best part of the film for me, and I hope we see more of him.

27. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

A great movie, which I’ve now seen three times in the cinema. It lacks the consistency to be one of the truly great Star Wars movies, as it moves between some very different and unrelated stories, and watching it in the cinema you appreciate just how much the middle drags. However, the climax is properly epic, and it contains the single greatest light sabre duel in the franchise. 

The audience did cheer when Sebastian Shaw turned up at the end!

28. Dungeons and Dragons

This was hugely entertaining! Knew what it had to do, and just did it well! There’s a place for movies like this!

Tetris*

A good movie for streaming, as the visuals were nothing spectacular. Taron Egerton is a good lead, and the ins and outs of Tetris (and Russia) are interesting, but I can’t say it was ever gripping.

29. Blue Beetle

DC trying something a little different with this one paid off, but once again it’s a comic book movie which feels a little late to the party.

When focusing of the action and adventure I thought this really worked well, however, it clearly feels that it has to be funny, and makes multiple characters the comic relief, feeling a bit forced. But I’d certainly come back for another one, and very glad to have a DC movie just having some fun for a change.

30. Merkel

A really good documentary on the life of Angela Merkel.

31. The Flash

I found it really hard to judge this film, as there’s a lot I liked about it. Keaton back as Batman was really cool, and I enjoyed a lot of Ezra Miller’s performance as The Flash. The central ideas are also really good. But there are parts of Miller’s performance which feel a little too staged, and I’m not sure all the good ideas hang together that well. As a result, this is in the middle of the list with all the fun adventures, but nothing higher.

I did cheer though when the reference to Kevin Smith’s Superman was on the screen!

32. Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny

Another entry in the Indiana Jones franchise which is a fun adventure, and that was enough for me.

33. Antman & the Wasp Quantamania

Whilst I enjoyed watching this movie, and it looked great, the story was honestly a bit of a mess, and the climax was pretty weak.

34. Renfield

I watched this for Nicholas Hoult and Nicholas Cage, and wasn’t disappointed. The story is a bit of a nonsense, but I don’t care on this occasion… I just want to watch Cage and Hoult having fun!

35. Shazam: Fury of the Gods

I really enjoyed the first Shazam movie, as it focused on the main character discovering his powers and all that comes with it. Those parts of this movie were easily my favourite parts, and there were plenty of good scenes. However, the need to be “bigger” than the first doesn’t really work, and it’s yet another comic book movie where the ending is a bit of a mess and doesn’t land.

36. Sweet As

A really nice Australian movie which is very well made, and has a strong cast. I feel a little bad only having it at 36, but, there wasn’t really anything new in the story so has to be in with the “good not great” section. But it is a nice movie, and if you watched it I doubt you’d be disappointed.

37. Women Talking

I know this got a lot of buzz at Oscar season last year, and I appreciate the important points the movie is trying to make. But, I honestly found it pretty dull. Well made, but not gripping, and honestly not especially thought provoking either; the dilemmas of the women never really had the gravity they were meant to.

38. Grand Tarismo

Visually pretty cool, and with a couple of “wow” moments.

39. Operation Fortune

This was a lot of fun! A mess, but a very fun mess!

40. The Meg 2: The Trench

Not as good as the first one, there was plenty of action, but not enough sharks. But certainly kept me entertained.

Teen Wolf*

I really enjoyed the Teen Wolf series, but this movie suffered from having to bring the cast together and tell a story, and from the lack of Dylan O’Brien. Lots of nice references and moments for fans, but spent far too much time getting things in place, and not enough time telling a story.

41. Aquaman 2

There was nothing in this movie I hadn’t seen before, and apart from one scene Aquaman never actually did any Aqua things, and could have been any super hero. The ending was also incredibly weak.

42. The Creator

I really wanted to rank this movie higher, as the core ideas and concepts are excellent. But, the execution was often really plodding, and the ending totally failed to land. I’m glad I saw it, but a real missed opportunity in my view.

43. The Son

Laura Dern is great in this, but I’m not sure Hugh Jackman quite knows where to land his performance. Newcomer Zen McGrath did very well, and I hope we see more of him.

The movie’s problem is that you can see the ending coming a mile off, and never quite buy the parents’ decisions. This is compounded by a terrible fake out ending, which just doesn’t work.

The Good Nurse*

A run of the mill “based on real events” crime movie, which is fine, but lacks any real revelations or twists, especially because of Eddie Redmayne’s performance.

44. Foe

Another movie I really want to like more because the concept is incredibly interesting, but, the delivery was sadly just dull, and utterly failed to land the punches it should have.

45. Mission Impossible 7

My first entry into the Mission Impossible franchise, and it did its job well, but was a bit forgettable. The ending especially felt very contrived just to get to the big stunt.

46. Aftersun

Paul Mescal gives a good performance, but I think this movie was trying so hard to be weird and smart and make the audience wonder what it was all about, that it forgot to actually BE about anything.

47. Emily

I just didn’t think this worked at all. Ideas and messaging all over the shop, and I didn’t think Emma Mackey nailed the lead performance.

48. What’s Love got to Do With It

Never gets beyond the basic premise, and has an ending which was obvious from the trailer. A few nice moments in the early parts of the film, but goes absolutely nowhere.

49. Bottoms

Neither original or funny.

50. 65

Adam Driver fighting Dinosaurs should have been a lot better than this, but somehow they contrived to make it incredibly boring, which is something of an achievement. 

51. Bank of Dave

This movie clearly thinks its making a profound statement about something, but really isn’t. The characters are two dimensional and cliché, and there’s no big plot moments. A really earnest plodder.

52. Killers of the Flower Moon

Three hours of utter boredom; I was really tempted to walk out of this one, and probably would have had Jesse Plemons’ arrival not given me some hope that something was going to happen (it didn’t). 

The importance of the issue being highlighted doesn’t excuse the film from needing a plot. Killing people we’ve only just met (sometimes literally in the scene in which they’re killed!) is not interesting. Leo mumbling his way through the film is not great acting, it’s just mumbling. 

Utterly tedious.

43. Blueback

There’s some nice ocean filming in this Australian movie, but when in the end your most important character is a fish, it’s hard to really get involved in the plot.

My Policeman*

I had a lot of hope for this film, but it was utterly turgid. Harry Styles really struggled with the material, the wife’s behaviour was at no point believable, and the framing device was completely disconnected from the main plot. Just a waste of an idea.

54. Babylon

A truly terrible movie. Lots of unconnected, badly created set pieces, linked by unlikable characters, and a lot of garish moments. Just awful.